September blew by in a big hurry. A huge part of that was because of traveling: first to a lake house in northern Minnesota, then to a wedding in Las Vegas. And those were back-to-back trips, taking us to places that seemed the total opposite of each other, leaving me with a sense of geographical whiplash. Both were nice, though, and the wedding was so, so wonderful.

All that traveling didn’t leave a whole lot of time for writing, but I have moved on to revising chapter five. Slowly, of course. It took me a while to figure out a good opening paragraph, and I think I finally have one. Then I had to decide if the length of the chapter required any adjustment. It’s noticeably shorter than the others, but when I glanced through the next two chapters, I realized that for the sake of narrative flow, chapter five needs to end where it currently does. Of course, when I get to the point of reading chapter six more closely, I may change my mind. But that’s an issue for future me.

Harold Ross figures prominently in chapter five because this is the chapter in which he and Jane reconnect in New York City after the war. I have to rein myself in here and stick to what Jane knew about and experienced with Ross from 1919 to about 1921. (And how Alexander Woollcott complicated matters.) The Grant/Ross relationship is inextricably tied to the creation of The New Yorker. Of course, I know how it all plays out, but there are a couple of more chapters to get through before I can reveal that. So, patience and restraint for now, with perhaps a bit of foreshadowing.

What I’ve Been Reading

Very little nonfiction. The three new books that I want to read haven’t come into the library yet, so I’m very slowly making my way through Richard Russo’s essay collection, Life and Art. His novel, Straight Man, is an all-time favorite of mine, and I’m enjoying these glimpses of his work as a writer.

I’m reading Douglas Stuart’s John of John, which is shortlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize. It carries quite a different tone and mood than Shuggie Bain, which won the prize in 2022. I admire Stuart’s restraint with holding on to bits of backstory until exactly the right moment.

I was absolutely enthralled with Madeline Miller’s novel, Circe, which I took along on our recent travels. I’ve had it on my shelf for ages and don’t know when I would have gotten around to it if we hadn’t gone to see The Odyssey. Circe really deserves a movie of her own. As Miller portrays her, Circe isn’t a minor character.

As I predicted, I couldn’t finish the novel Yellow Pine by Claire Vaye Watkins. Nothing wrong with it; just not for me.

What I’ve Been Watching

The best thing is, of course, the new season of The Great British Baking Show.

Also holding our attention are: Neagley, the Reacher spinoff on Prime; the first season of Netflix’s The Gentlemen; Cooper & Fry and Tommy & Tuppence on BritBox.

Finished Reacher (Prime), Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+), and Netflix’s Nordic police thriller, Blood Sacrifice. I adored this season of Star Trek.

What Else Was/Is Happening

I recently attended my 50^th high school class reunion. Not for the 50^th time, but rather to mark the passage of 50 years. There were about 200 in the graduating class; about 70 came to the reunion. I still recognized a lot of names, and it was interesting to put faces with them and to hear old stories and new ones. The biggest draw was being able to spend time with my wonderful high school friend who traveled from California for the event. We don’t get to see each other often enough. Our school closed several years ago, so there was no opportunity for on-site reminiscences. But plenty of us still could sing the unofficial school song that starts out: “I go to an all-girls school so pity me. There’s not a guy in this damn nunnery.” Our class motto was the very endearing: Friends once, friends forever.

Back at home a few weeks ago, we saw Coyote vs. Acme, and I enjoyed it very much.

And there has been bowling, of course, with its usual ups and downs. We even found a couple of different places to bowl in Minnesota, which provided interesting experiences. Every alley is a little bit different. But we’re always happy to get back to our usual place. And we’ve finally decided to invest in our very own bowling balls. I may have already decided on this one. How could I not?

Thanks, as always, for reading. See you next time.